Go Back to Sleep
by cursedmark2
Summary: Nothing makes sense anymore. There is nothing left now. Just pieces and fragments of a life long gone. Never to return. Everyone is gone now. There is no one else here. No one but him.
1. Chapter 1

"…"

_**"...Do you remember?"**_

"…"

**"…"**

"…Remember what?"

_**"..."**_

"..."

_**"...Back then"**_

"…"

**_"…"_**

"…No"

"…"

_**"…"**_

_**"...Are you sure? You don't remember anything?"**_

"…"

**_"…"_**

"…I guess not"

"…"

_**"…"**_

**_"...Never mind...go back to sleep" _**

"…"

**_"…"_**

"…Okay"

* * *

"Oi, Sakura-chan!" a boy called out to the girl who was waiting for him at a bridge along with another boy.

The girl had on a red dress with a white circle on the front, tight black shorts with a weapons pouch strapped to her right thigh, ninja sandals and a leaf headband on her head. She looked about thirteen or so. She had bright green eyes and a large forehead, though her most distinguishing feature was her long, bright pink hair. "Naruto-baka what took you so long!? Can't you be on time for once! I swear you're just as bad as Kakashi-sensei! You've kept Sasuke-kun and I waiting for almost an hour now!"

The 'Sasuke-kun' she was referencing to was the dark boy leaning against the railing next to her. He had jet black hair that was spiked in the back with jet black eyes that held a strong look of both irritation and disinterest. He wore a blue shirt with white arm warmers and white shorts and a weapons pouch on the right thigh, ninja sandals and a leaf headband on his forehead. "Hhnn." was his only response.

"Sorry Sakura-chan I just woke up a little late, hehe…sorry" the boy on trial said nervously as he finally made his way up to them.

Sasuke obviously didn't care in the slightest… but Sakura was still steaming. "You baka! You think you can say 'I'm sorry' and blow it off just like that!" she screeched as she beat him upside the head. "Ouch! Sakura–chan I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Naruto said in distress as she pummeled him into the ground. "And drop the –chan! Sasuke-kun is the only one that can call me Sakura-chan, you blonde headed baka!" she yelled in his face. She then went back to stand next to Sasuke with fawning like eyes as if she wasn't screeching like a banshee a moment earlier, an act that seemed to further annoy him as he grunted and closed his eyes to her.

Unfortunately... this only made her fawn even more over how 'cool' and 'awesome' he was.

Sighing in defeat, and slight jealousy, Naruto just looked on at the girl he had a secret crush for swoon over the jerk Sasuke as he decided to get up out of the dirt.

Picking himself off the ground and holding his aching head, Naruto couldn't help but feel hurt by the girl's harsh treatment of him. He didn't want to be late like their stupid sensei, why did she have to get so mad at him.

Sadly, this was his daily routine with them.

Getting a better look at him, Naruto was truly a sight to see. He had bright golden blonde hair on his head and two bright ocean blue eyes. He wore a strange orange ninja jumpsuit that made him visible nearly five miles away, along with a weapons pouch, a standard pair of ninja sandals and a leaf headband on his forehead. But, without a doubt, his most striking features were the three whisker shaped birthmarks he had on each cheek. He had an interesting appearance, but then again, everybody thought he was an 'interesting' boy.

After approximately two more hours of grumbling and annoyance filled waiting, the team leader finally strolled in casually.

"Hi everyone. Sorry I'm late. I would have gotten here sooner, but it seems I got a bit lost along the path of life…" the man said in a lazy, yet somewhat rehearsed tone. Looking at him, he seemed to look fairly average for a Shinobi. He had silver colored hair that fanned up and out to his left in an almost gravity defying manner. He wore the standard uniform for a Jonin which included a flask jacket, a weapons pouch strapped to his right thigh and ninja sandals. Although, the mask covered face and headband pulled down over his left eye set him apart in a crowd.

That and his chronic lateness.

"Liar," Sakura and Naruto yelled in comical unison, fingers pointed angrily at the man "You should have been here hours ago Kakashi-sensei!"

Sasuke and Kakashi both sweat dropped.

"Well anyway, why don't we get going then, hmm?" The three looked at him with raised brows. "I'm sure there are plenty of missions that need doing and they aren't going to get done standing here, now are they" Kakashi said to the three preteens.

They all shot him an annoyed stare. He sweat dropped again.


	2. Chapter 2

"…"

_**"…Awake?"**_

"…"

_**"…"**_

"…Yeah"

_**"…"**_

"…"

_**"…How's your head?"**_

"…"

_**"…"**_

"…"

_**"…"**_

"…Hurts"

_**"…"**_  
"…"

_**"…Still don't remember?"**_

"…"

_**"…"**_

"…No"

_**"…"**_

"…"

_**"…"**_

"…"

**"…_That's okay…Go back to sleep"_**

"…"

_**"…"**_

"…"

_**"…"**_

"…"

_**"…"**_

"…Okay"

* * *

"Alright… for your next mission… let's see… we have a woman wanting someone to watch her children for the day… there's a man who needs help tending to his garden… oh… how about some-"

"No, No, No!" Naruto rudely interjected.

"…Naruto…"

"I hate all these boring missions Old Man, I want something else" Naruto said flatly, squatting on the floor in protest.

Silence filled the room for a moment as the rest of Team Seven deadpanned.

"Naruto, watch your mouth. That is now how you speak to your Hokage" Kakashi said, slightly irritated, after he bopped Naruto on the head. "Oww" he moaned in response.

"But Kakashi-sensei, real ninja don't do lame stuff like babysitting and pulling weeds. I want something cooler" Naruto pouted. Kakashi couldn't help be sigh.

"Naruto, you baka, quit complaining already! You're being such a pain!" Sakura shouted in irritation before also striking Naruto's head. "Oww" he moaned again.

Sasuke sighed, feeling annoyed with the both of them, but otherwise indifferent.

Rubbing his head, Naruto was still persistent in voicing his objections "Come on Old Man, can't you give us something better than this?"

"Ugh…Naruto…I have explained this to you already," the Old Man said in a worn out tone, "You and your teammates have only recently graduated from the Ninja Academy and you still don't have much experience. Anything higher than a D-rank mission is simply too advanced for you right now."

Naruto could only pout more. Kakashi sighed again. "Naruto," Sakura shouted in rising anger, "stop acting so rude! This is Lord Hokage you're speaking too, have some manners!"

"But Sakura-chan, aren't you tired of all these boring missions we've been on lately? Don't you want a change too?" Naruto asked.

In fact, Sakura had also been tired of the low level missions lately as much as Naruto had. So far, the 'missions' Team Seven had done were little more than chores. While normally this would not have bothered her all that much, she couldn't help but notice how much Sasuke was fed up with all of it. What really bothered her was the fact that Sasuke-kun wasn't happy, because it was always in her top priorities to see to it that Sasuke was always as happy as possible. She would be the happiest girl alive if she were able to make Sasuke-kun happy. Unfortunately, the number one irritation for her beloved Sasuke-kun, as well as herself, was always Naruto.

He just never failed to rub her the wrong way every time he was around her.

"I bet Sasuke-teme is fed up with this just as much as I am, am I right?" Naruto questioned while gesturing over towards Sasuke. Sasuke responded with his usual 'Hhnn" which Naruto took as a yes.

"See, even Sasuke-teme agrees with me! Come on Old Man, can't you give us something better to do!?" Naruto pleaded with hopeful eyes.

Sasuke groaned, but couldn't deny the fact, which bothered him immensely. He had also grown tired with the recent mission lineup, just as Naruto had said. He would never admit that of course. His ego would not allow it.

Sasuke simply did not have the ability to acknowledge the fact that Naruto was right about something. Their entire relationship revolved around the fact that he was completely better then Naruto at anything and everything. After all, he was the top ranking Academy graduate of their class, while Naruto was the dead-last in every subject.

It was the only natural assumption to make.

"Naruto, be quiet, before you get yourself into trouble." Kakashi said forcefully, hoping he got the message. "Please excuse him Lord Hokage. He can still be a bit rambunctious at times"

Kakashi was right to be worried about Naruto's behavior. For most people, it would be considered very unwise to speak to this Old Man as rudely as Naruto had. Then again, most people were not Naruto.

The reason why most people would not question the Old Man was because he was the Third Hokage, Leader of the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

The man's name was Hiruzen Sarutobi, dubbed 'Old Man' by Naruto due to his grandfatherly personality, addressed as Lord Hokage by everyone else, out of respect. He was an older man in his late sixties with a medium length grey goatee and short, spiky grey hair that still looked as healthy as a twenty-year-olds. His attire consisted of a red kimono, tied closed with a white sash along with a white haori jacket overtop it and a square, red hat that held the symbol for Fire printed in red inside of a white triangle on the front. His face held slight creased and wrinkles along with slightly pronounced cheekbones and a few liver-spots, signifying that he was past his youth. Overall, his experienced look of wisdom, coupled with his extraordinary talent as a ninja, despite his advanced age, kept him both well respected and well admired by ninja and civilians alike throughout the village.

Granted, despite his position, there were a few select people within his good graces that he would allow to be 'informal' and, evidentially, Naruto happened to be one of those people.

Who knew?

Kakashi wasn't really worried about Naruto getting into trouble. He was more worried about himself being the one to get chewed out by the Hokage for allowing such disrespect. He could honestly care less if Naruto was punished or not.

"Aw come on Kakashi-sensei! It's just not fair! How can I get stronger when all I do is boring kid stuff like this!? He said that we don't have experience yet, right… well how are we suppose to get any the way things are now!? I'm a ninja now, not just some trouble making kid like I use to be, so don't treat me like one!" Naruto said in solid resolve.

If only Kakashi actually believed that.

A momentary pause filled the room again.

"Hmm…" the Old Man murmured in contemplation. Naruto did have a good point. He wasn't just some kid anymore. He was a full-fledged ninja now and deserved to be treated as one. He was also somewhat right in saying how they couldn't gain any experience in their current situation.

Maybe he was right, what could it possibly hurt?

"…Alright…"

Yet again, there was a pause.

"Wh-what" Naruto asked, uncertainty written all over his face.

"If you really want it that badly… you can try a simple C-rank mission. How does that sound?"

"Yay!" Naruto exclaimed with a joyous grin, spread ear to ear across his face. He honestly hadn't expected for the Old Man to actually give them a higher mission. He really just wanted to get the thought of it off his chest.

Sakura and Kakashi were both a bit unsure of what to make of the turnout.

Sasuke kept a cool face of indifference, but on the inside was smirking with satisfaction.

"So what's the mission Old Man!? Do we get to take out a hoard of highway bandits!? Oh! Or maybe rescue a beautiful princess from the hands of some evil tyrant!?" Naruto asked with sparkles in his eyes while almost bouncing up and down. The rest of Team Seven sweat dropped.

"Hmm…no no Naruto, its nothing like that. This will just be a simple escort mission. Your job will be to accompany the client and protect them from any sort of danger until they can safely reach their destination." The Old Man said with a hidden smirk. He knew that, while this may not be to sort of super exciting mission Naruto was probably hoping for, it would still be more than enough to satisfy him demands.

Honestly, he loved the boy. He loved him like his own grandson, but he could be a real pain at times. On particularly bad days Naruto could plant a migraine that would last all day long. Better to nip that bud at the source and give him a C-rank mission, less he have to spend the day feeling like a boulder was sitting on his head. But besides that, he really did enjoy seeing the boy smiling

"Hmm… that sounds great!" Naruto said, only the little bit deflated, "Who are we escorting?"

"Actually, he's waiting right outside," the Old Man stated in a matter-of-factly tone, "You can come in now."


	3. Chapter 3

"This is so awesome!" Naruto cheered at the top of his lungs.

"… Naruto… what are you getting all excited for?"

"What are you talking about, Kakashi-sensei? This is my very first time outside the village, and it's on my first C-rank mission, how could I not be excited!?" Naruto said, grinning ear to ear, as he was taking in the sights beyond the village gates.

"… Oi… are you really sure I'm gonna be safe with this little brat guarding me?"

"Well… I'm a jonin, so you don't have much to worry about"

"Hmmm… still, I'm not sure I'm comfortable putting my life in the hands of this idiot"

To that, Naruto halted his sightseeing and spun around in anger.

"Hey, listen up, Old Man! Don't underestimate us ninja, especially me!" Naruto yelled with gritted teeth. "Just you wait, one day I'm gonna become the next Hokage and everyone with respect and look up to me. So you better remember my name, it's Naruto Uzumaki!" He thumbed his chest for emphasis.

"Oh…is that right? …You will become the Hokage? … The best there is? … I don't think someone like you really has what it takes" the Old Man taunted.

It clearly had the desired effect, as made apparent by Naruto's twitching eye.

"Oh yeah, well… you're just stupid, Old Man! I've got awesome skills and I'm gonna get stronger and stronger, until I become the best Hokage that ever lived, and when I do you and everyone else will have no choice but to see how great I am! "

"Oh, I already see how great you are," the Old Man chuckled, "A great big joke is what you are"

"Grrr… I'll kill you!" Naruto shouted as he made a jumped at the Old Man, only to be stopped suddenly by a grip on the back of his collar. The Old Man didn't even blink.

"How many times do I have to tell you, you dunce, you're suppose to protect the client, not attack him" Kakashi sighed as he rapped Naruto on the head. "Oww" he groaned.

Naruto and the Old Man had been voicing their dislike for one another ever since they met back in the Hokage's office, and showed no sign of stopping anytime soon. The mission was to protect the Old Man from things like thugs and highway bandits as he made his way back to his home country, an easy C-rank assignment, nothing too dangerous or difficult. But if things kept up, Naruto would become more of a difficulty than any bandits would be.

If only there was a leash for Kakashi to keep the stupid brat on.

Hopefully Sakura would knock some sense into him, like she usually did.

Speaking of Sakura, she was being unusually calm, as was Sasuke.

The two had been quietly watching Naruto and their client as they threw insults at each other from a distance the whole time.

They looked bored.

In truth, they were ridiculously amused.

Sasuke's face was apathetic as ever while Sakura wore a slight frown, though the look in their eyes showed just how entertained they were from watching a stupid old man make their loser of a teammate look like an idiot. The two both continued watching silently, until Sakura spoke up.

"…Say, Mr. Tazuna, you said you're from the Land of Waves, right?" Sakura asked curiously, like the question had been on her mind a while.

"Hmm…yeah, what of it?" the Old Man now known as Tazuna responded, instantly forgetting Naruto.

"Well, I was just wondering…do you have ninja in your country too?"

"…Actually, no we don't"

"Really… why is that?"

"Hey! I'm not done with you, Old Man" Naruto yelled in frustration for being ignored. "Shut up Naruto, I'm talking over here!" Sakura yelled back, punching Naruto in the face and sending him into the dirt. "Humph… as I was saying… so why don't have ninja in your country, Mr. Tazuna?"

"Allow me to explain Sakura…" Kakashi intervened.

"You see, most individual countries hold their own individual ninja villages, however, the ninja village and the leader, or Daimyo, of the country they reside in are seen as equals. For example, we live in the Hidden Leaf village, which is a part of the Land of Fire. Instead of taking our orders directly from the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, we are governed by the Hokage, who holds the same authority as the Daimyo. With this in mind, the two work together to maintain peace within the land" Kakashi said informatively.

"Oh, okay, I get what you mean. So the Hidden Leaf and the Land of Fire are like partners, and they work together and support each other" Sakura said in understanding.

"That's right. Ninja villages are thought of as being the military force of their countries, and protect them from attack. While they do that, the villages receive finances and economic support in the form of missions.

"Do all the different villages work that way? "

"Well… most do. There is the Hidden Leaf village in the Land of Fire, the Hidden Sand village in the Land of Wind, the Hidden Rock village in the Land of Earth, the Hidden Cloud village in the Land of Lightning, and the Hidden Mist village in the Land of Water. These Five Great Elemental Nations are the largest and most influential in the world, and, likewise, hold power against minor nations such as the Hidden Rain, Hidden Grass, and Hidden Waterfall, who are smaller and weaker by comparison. Each village is typically led by their strongest ninja, who earns the title of Kage. The Hokage of the Leaf, Kazekage of the Sand, Tsuchikage of the Stone, Raikage of the Cloud, and Mizukage of the Mist, as I said, are the most powerful ninja in the entire world" Kakashi finished.

"Wow… so Lord Hokage is really amazing then, huh" was what she said.

'Really now, what's so special about that stupid old man anyway? All he does is sit back in his dumb chair and lecture us all day, what makes him so great?' was what she really thought.

Sasuke appeared to be on the same mental wavelength as he nodded with a small grin across his face.

"Why yes… he is very important… thought you obviously don't think so, do you?" Kakashi drawled out sarcastically, causing the two, mainly Sakura, to flinch, sweat slightly and walk away. Kakashi chuckled. Tazuna sweat dropped.

"…Well, that aside… the Land of Waves is a far off country surrounded by water which naturally protects us from outside attack. Not only that, but since we are a small country, we really can't afford to support a ninja village of our own"

"What do most of you do in Wave?" Sakura asked.

"We are mainly fishermen and constructors who work and sell to other countries for profit. However… we've been stuck in a sort of… depression… lately. As you already know, I am a master bridge builder. My job is to return to my country and complete a bridge that will connect Wave with the mainland, and hopefully return things to normal" Tazuna said.

"Wow, you're pretty important then, aren't you Mr. Tazuna" Sakura said with a dash of awe, albeit vein.

"Hmmm…well…I guess you could say that" Tazuna said with a smirk and just a dash of smug.

Kakashi sweat dropped.

Without knowing of his occupation as a highly skilled carpenter, one would think Tazuna as little more than a rude old drunk, which, ironically, was right on the mark. Tazuna was an old man in his late fifties with grey hair, a large grey beard and glasses. He wore a simple v-neck sleeveless shirt, pants and sandals along with a pointed hat and a towel around his neck.

In addition, he was also carrying a sake bottle in his hand and opted to take a swig of it every few steps. It was actually a wonder how it hadn't run out yet.

So yes, Tazuna was just a old drunk with nothing special going for him.

After all, what old drunk doesn't know how to build a bridge capable of liberating hundreds of oppressed island villagers?


End file.
